Turhan Bey (1922-2012)

biography

Born Turhan Selahettin Schultavy on March 30, 1922, in Vienna, Austria (some sources cite 1919 and 1920 as his year of birth), Turhan Bey was born the son of a Turkish diplomat. Following his parents' divorce, Bey and his mother relocated to the U.S. in the late 1930s, finally settling in California. Soon afterward, he began training as an actor. In 1940, Bey landed a contract with Warner Bros., where he was cast in his first film, the mystery Shadows on the Stairs (1941; with Paul Cavanagh and Heather Angel). After two films at Warner Bros., he moved on to Universal in 1941 where his exotic looks got him cast in a number of adventure films, such as Burma Convoy (1941; with Charles Bickford and Evelyn Ankers) and Raiders of the Desert (1941; with Richard Arlen and Maria Montez). After several more adventures and crime dramas, Bey was cast in the Technicolor swashbuckler Arabian Nights (1942; with Jon Hall and Maria Montez).

LEFT: Turhan Bey sifts through his mail with the assistance of Universal Studios office staff in the early 1940s. RIGHT: Universal Studios portrait

In addition to feature films, Bey acted in several serials, such as the twelve-chapter Junior G-Men of the Air (1942; with Lionel Atwill and Huntz Hall) and the thirteen-chapter Adventures of Smilin' Jack (1943; with Marjorie Lord and Sidney Toler). During his days at Universal, he was romantically linked to Merle Oberon, Ava Gardner, and Lana Turner, among other actresses.

From the Universal comedy costume flick Night in Paradise with Merle Oberon

Out of the Blue (1947)

Parole, Inc. (1948)

Lobby card from the Eagle-Lion film noir thriller Parole, Inc.

Prisoners of the Casbah (1953)

From Columbia's low-budget adventure flick Prisoners of the Casbah. LEFT: With Gloria Grahame and Cesar Romero. RIGHT: Bey swashbuckling in his last film before a 40-year break from acting

later years

The swashbuckling, escapist films in which Bey had been starring fell out of favor following the end of World War II. In 1946, Bey was drafted into the army for a two-year hitch, which stole momentum from his acting career. Upon his release, Universal sold his contract to Eagle-Lion, where he starred in a few films, including Out of the Blue (1947; with George Brent and Virginia Mayo) and The Amazing Mr. X (1948; with Lynn Bari, Richard Carlson, and Cathy O'Donnell). Following the release of Columbia's Song of India (1949; with Sabu and Gail Russell), Bey acted in just once more film, the adventure Prisoners of the Casbah (1953; with Gloria Grahame and Cesar Romero) before retiring from acting. Later in 1953 Bey returned to Austria and produced the film Stolen Identity (1953; with Francis Lederer). He remained in his native country for a number of years and became a respected photographer. After his return to the U.S., Bey took another stab at acting, with great success, beginning with a guest appearance on the television series SeaQuest DSV in September 1993. Bey continued to act in films and on television through the late 1990s. After a fight against Parkinson’s disease, Turhan Bey died in Austria on September 30, 2012, at the age of 90. He left no immediate surviving family.

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCESBabylon 5, episode Learning Curve, originally aired February 18, 1998The Visitor, episode The Black Box, originally aired October 24, 1997VR.5, episode Reunion, originally aired May 12, 1995Babylon 5, episode The Coming of Shadows, originally aired February 1, 1995Murder, She Wrote episode Death 'N Denial, originally aired January 22, 1995SeaQuest DSV, episode Treasure of the Mind, originally aired September 26, 1993